Coping Mechanism
by CuteKick
Summary: Cammy and Chun Li enjoy some quality time together before taking on M. Bison again. Meanwhile, Guile is off dealing with his own demons. Will anything ever be the same after this? Warning: CammyxChun Li love!
1. Chapter 1

**The setting is just after the events of the SFIV anime. Chapter two in the works!**

* * *

Coping Mechanism

Chapter One

The sun was setting low behind the Midtown, Manhattan skyline. Between the famous sky-scrapers and other architecture that Midtown was known for, the different sunset shades of pink and orange could be seen, brilliantly engulfing the city before the inevitable embrace of nightfall. The busiest commercial district in the United States, Midtown was magnificent enough during the day.

But when darkness fell, it became another organism altogether.

High above the bustling streets below Chun Li Zang gazed out the floor-to-ceiling windows of her fiftieth-story apartment. Although she maintained the residence whenever it was necessary for her to be in New York City, all the expenses were paid as part of her unique relationship with the Interpol Special Liaison Office, which was located nearby in the neighborhood of Turtle Bay. Shadaloo's criminal notoriety had long ago prompted the development of the highly-specialized department, of which she was a very integral part, that dealt solely with their activity. Chun Li was back in town to meet with several of the other key figures to discuss recent events that alluded to the return of M. Bison, and to develop a plan to pursue him and his terrible organization once again.

However, that meeting was not until Monday morning.

It was Friday night, and Chun Li had special arrangements this weekend to meet privately with a long-time associate and friend who had become an absolutely crucial part of the struggle against Shadaloo. Their relationship had had a rocky beginning, but now Chun Li could not imagine taking on the world without her. She smiled and felt her pulse quicken with excitement; it had been awhile since she had been able to spend time with Cammy White outside of hunting down M. Bison. This would be a fun and relaxing bit of girl time, something that Chun Li was sure they could both use before their team was at it again come Monday.

Catching a glimpse of herself in the window's reflection, more visible now as the last of the sunlight lowered under the horizon, Chun Li began to feel very nervous. The detective rarely had the chance to play dress up and wanted to make a great impression tonight. She securitized herself for a moment, smoothing the silky fabric of her black mini-dress against her body. It outlined her generous contours seamlessly but left just enough to tease at the imagination- sassy and yet elegant, the perfect compromise between 'treat me like a lady' and 'ravage me right here'. Chun Li's fabulous legs were on display tonight, stemming from the bottom of her dress just above her knees and ending at her pretty feet, which were decorated in black open-toed heels that strapped around her ankles. She patted her two signature hair buns to make sure not a strand was out of place, and straightened the silvery ribbons that draped from them. Everything had to be perfect! Gripping her black clutch nervously Chun Li looked at her watch, an intricate, diamond-studded platinum piece, just in time for her apartment phone to ring.

Her transportation had arrived; it was time to make her appearance.

* * *

The New York Palace was a place that Chun Li never imagined she would have a reason to visit. Her private concierge sent by the magnificent hotel opened the door for her, and she stepped into the warm New York night in front of its gates. Chun Li was escorted inside, and the walk through the Palace to its famous Madison Room was a fascinating trip through a combination of historical architecture and twenty-first century innovation, her heels clicking on the shiny floor all the while. It made perfect sense that Cammy would prefer to spend the weekend in such a majestic escape. The British woman had always had a very healthy appreciation for the finer things in life, and Chun Li knew that her friend's experience in the clandestine community often included spending a lot of time in similar surroundings. She also knew that Cammy's particular element within that community, Delta Red, seemed to have an endless budget to facilitate such outlandish accommodations regularly.

In the end, for more reasons than being spoiled with private transportation and weekends spent at luxurious hotels, Chun Li was glad that Cammy was on her side now.

Her escort took her all the way to the open double doors of the incredible Madison Room, and with a friendly nod he left her to fend for herself. Chun Li stood and gazed around wide-eyed, fidgeting awkwardly in her heels and fumbling idly with her clutch. Feeling quite a bit like an idiot, she finally took a few steps onto the soft carpet and looked for her friend among the other patrons, who were just as elegant as the rest of the place. Luckily, her search did not take very long; she spotted Cammy sitting at the bar on the back side of the room.

It was a lovely semi-circular bar centered in front of one of the big arched windows along the walls, which gave guests a view of the amazing cathedral next window itself sat between big glossy pillars, two on each side that added a sense of grandness to the atmosphere. A chandelier sparkled brilliantly overhead, casting its radiance down upon the bar area. Stools were arranged neatly around the bar, and Chun Li found Cammy sitting in the center-most one.

"Good evening, Miss White," she said as she approached. "You're date has arrived."

Cammy turned to greet her friend and was immediately stunned by what she saw. "Well I certainly didn't realize that my date would be such a tart," she answered smiling and studying Chun Li intently. With her incredible legs and her prominent curves outlined more than flatteringly beneath the thin fabric of her little black dress, Chun Li was quite a delightful spectacle.

"I think that was a compliment?" said Chun Li as she took a spot at the bar directly to Cammy's left. She spun away from the bar so that they sat facing each other, crossing her legs and locking her hands around her knee.

"Absolutely," Cammy replied. "You look amazing, Detective Zang."

"Well, thank you," Chun Li said unable to keep from blushing. She could tell by the sparkle in Cammy's big blue eyes that she was genuinely impressed, and Chun Li sighed inwardly in relief; she had been so nervous that she would look silly. And with how lovely Cammy looked that evening she had had every reason to be worried.

Cammy was wearing a silvery gown, elegant and flowing to her ankles. It was held up by thin straps and swept low across her chest. She was wearing matching pumps that looked comfortable and made her feet seem dainty. Her long, golden hair remained parted into two neat braids, her favorite way to wear it, which were both draped over one shoulder. A pair of diamond earrings hung from her lobes and dazzled in the light.

"But you look gorgeous," Chun Li told the British woman. "Like a princess from a fairy tale."

Cammy smiled mischievously and crossed her ankles, leaning into the bar and propping her head in her hand. "Oh, well, look at us; lady and the tramp," she said, and the look on Chun Li's face in reaction to that was a comical mixture of surprise and insult that only made her laugh.

"That was mean!" Chun Li crossed her arms made a pouty face, which prompted more giggles from her companion.

Without either of the girls having ordered it, the bar tender poured each of them a glass of champagne. "Fine, I'm sorry," Cammy said. "Here is my peace offering- a toast." She sat up and raised her glass, and by the time Chun Li had done the same all humor had vanished from her expression.

Chun Li knew what her friend was thinking and returned the silent intensity.

"To already knowing the truth, no matter what those bastards tell us." Cammy's voice was low and serious, and her eyes flashed with icy fury.

"Absolutely," replied Chun Li with reciprocal mood and tone, and they tapped their glasses. Chun Li took a single drink while Cammy drained the entire glass and set it back on the bar.

"Am I just wasting our time?" Cammy asked seeming suddenly very upset. "This is a waste of time. We should be out there hunting them down. The sooner we start-"

Chun Li reached across the short space between them and took Cammy's hand in hers. "Stop it, Cammy." She ran her thumb back and forth softly over her friend's hand. "There's nothing we can do about it right now. Listen to me; you've brought me here to this amazing place tonight so we could relax before going into battle with Shadaloo again. We need this."

She uncrossed and re-crossed her legs in exaggerated fashion, smiling shyly at Cammy. "Plus, I'm wearing the skimpiest little damn thing for you that I could have possibly managed without throwing away every shred of self-respect, so you better show your little tramp a good time" Chun Li did get a smile from her with that, and she felt Cammy give her hand a gentle squeeze.

"I wouldn't be a lady if I didn't, love," Cammy replied as her tension quickly dissipated.

"Promise?" Chun Li tilted her head and gazed at her partner.

Cammy was a sucker for Chun Li's chocolaty, almond-shaped eyes every time. "I promise."

"Good." Chun Li took a drink of her champagne and reluctantly released Cammy's hand. "Because if you start getting all bad-moody, I'm sure Guile would love to replace me as your date and the two of you can brood together. Then your evening will go from lady and the tramp to beauty and the beast!"

"Oh, how clever you are." Cammy feigned an extremely bored expression as Chun Li laughed at her own jest. "Good luck getting him to set foot in a place like this, much less be willing to play dress-up with you." She turned in her stool away from Chun Li and toward the bar as the bartender refilled her glass. "I don't think you appreciate just how good you have it. I've even reserved this bar just for the two of us as part of my plan this evening."

Chun Li's mouth hung open. She had wondered why they were the only two enjoying the wonderful bar space and how Cammy had managed to keep the remaining six seats empty looking the way she did that evening. "Why do you always have to win," she said at length, sighing and finishing her drink. "And what other surprises can I expect from your 'plan'?"

Turning to face her friend again and smiling good-naturedly Cammy said, "That's for me to know and you to find out. Besides, tonight we both win. A promise is a promise."

"Very well," Chun Li replied with a happy nod. "Although," she added as her glass was refilled, "speaking of Guile, I am a bit worried about him. I haven't heard from him since we got word of Monday's meeting. You know how he tortures himself over… well, over everything. And now that Shadaloo is back in the picture…"

Cammy turned her head and looked out the window, considering Chun Li's words. Yes, she knew well the torment that the man inflicted on himself every day while they were hunting down M. Bison. She knew that he blamed himself as much as Shadaloo for losing Nash, that his struggle to bring down Bison had become just as much about redemption as it was about justice. When they thought it was finally over Cammy had seen a glimmer of hope return to him, a fleeting sense of closure that he had been fighting so long for. Now with the wound ripped back open, Cammy couldn't imagine how he must be feeling, and she pained for him, she pained for him now just as she had all along. She hated to see him lost in the darkness of revenge and wanted so badly to comfort him. But the man just would not let her in, not in the past and Cammy knew there was less hope of it now.

Shadaloo's return affected the whole team, but Guile's struggle was different.

"Cammy…" Chun Li placed a hand on her friend's thigh, realizing that Guile may have been a poor choice of topic so soon. "I didn't mean to-"

"I'm sure Guile will be just fine in whatever hole-in-the-wall he ends up in tonight," interrupted Cammy as flippantly as she could muster. It stung her inside to act so coldly about the situation, and she didn't know why she worked so hard to keep her feelings about him hidden away. "You know the man prefers his solitude during his periods of self-loathing."

Chun Li sighed, understanding that Cammy wanted to appear callous but not believing the façade. She had been seeing evidence of Cammy's secret affection for Guile for quite some time, although she was certain that Guile himself was completely unaware of it. That thought made her smile inwardly; she found the dynamic between her two teammates to be very cute. There was Cammy, Delta Red's battle-hardened weapon of death, reduced to a love-sick schoolgirl by Guile, the Special Forces officer that was oblivious to her crush on him.

Chun Li gave her friend's leg a little squeeze. "If you say so."

"I do." Holding her glass of champagne, Cammy looked at her date. "Right. Now, back to us and having a good evening..."

* * *

"…and so, if you ever come to Hong Kong I will take you to all the best places!"

"That sounds wonderful." Cammy gazed happily at Chun Li, who had been chattering excitedly about her home town for quite some time and seemed perfectly content. Cammy realized that she enjoyed Chun Li's company immensely; the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled, the way she casually touched her hand or leg during conversation, made Cammy feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The way she sat there in her little party dress... Cammy crossed her legs beneath her silky gown, chewing at the corner of her bottom lip and pressing her thighs together uncomfortably. Maybe it was just the champagne, which had done much to improve both their moods as the time passed. But the heat she felt in her body as she devoured Chun Li with her eyes told her that it was much more than a good buzz.

The bartender suddenly addressing her saved Cammy's mind from diving completely head-first into the gutter.

"Excuse me, Miss White. Your table is ready."

"Excellent," said Cammy, and she downed her drink. "Phase two of our date." She smiled slyly and Chun Li gave her a suspicious look.

"What are you up to?" Chun Li asked curiously.

Cammy stood up. "Come, and you shall see."

Chun Li attempted to get down from her stool but stumbled in her heels. In a flash Cammy was there to catch her friend in her arms before she crashed to the floor. Chun Li gave a short yelp and held Cammy tightly, looking up at her rescuer as their bodies pressed together.

"You did this to me," she said giggling and tapping Cammy on the nose.

Cammy laughed and helped steady her date. She had rather enjoyed the way Chun Li's shapeliness had felt against her as she held her in her arms. With her own heals feeling a bit unsteady as well, Cammy honestly didn't know how she had stayed on her feet enough to catch her friend and was relieved that they didn't both go down in an entangled heap. But even that thought had its appeal, Cammy had to admit.

She pulled her thoughts back together. "Will you be alright now, love?"

Hugging Cammy's arm Chun Li said, "Now I should be fine. Just don't leave my side…"

The look Chun Li gave her then, with her head canted just so and her misty brown eyes shimmering sensually, her pretty, perfect lips parted just slightly, made Cammy forget to breathe. She felt Chun Li run her fingers up and down her arm and it sent an electrifying chill throughout her whole body. Cammy was experiencing emotional- and most definitely physical- reactions that she had forgotten she was capable of. But then, perhaps she was never capable of them at all until Chun Li. It didn't matter to Cammy at the moment; she didn't want to think. All she wanted was to stay lost in Chun Li's trance and delve deeper and deeper…

"Well aren't you going to lead the way?" Chun Li sweetly asked her vacant companion. "You're keeping your date waiting."

And just as easily as she had cast the spell over her, Chun Li released Cammy from her influence as if it were an innate magic that she could wield at will. Cammy glanced away shyly as her face flushed.

"Yes, of course. Right this way."

* * *

Chun Li couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun. The girls had wandered off on a tour of the amazing hotel on their way to wherever it was that Cammy wanted to take them, and they got the attention of everyone in their path. A few gentlemen, unable to resist the opportunity to shower such lovely girls with compliments, had approached them to chat briefly on one occasion. Chun Li was very content to hold herself close to her friend's side as they talked, and she was immensely enjoying being Cammy's arm candy. Cammy referred to her as her date, often including a preceding adjective such as 'wonderful' or 'lovely', which gave her a warm and delightful feeling inside each time. And Chun Li would smile and lean her head on Cammy's shoulder as she clung to her arm.

It was obvious that Cammy was enjoying their time as well. The little looks and winks she would sneak in just for her made Chun Li's heart flip and temperature rise, and it expressed to her how comfortable Cammy was with their increasing intimacy. Cammy moved like a princess in her silver gown, and she enjoyed the feel of her friend's body beneath the silky fabric. The smell of her skin and hair was incredibly attractive to Chun Li as well, and she felt as if she could just not get close enough. All of the champagne they had enjoyed previously in the Madison Room had made both of them quite bubbly and Chun Li was thankful to have Cammy help steady her step. Chun Li could tell that the Brit was genuinely entertained with her and it made her feel good to see the smile in her shimmering blue eyes.

Finally Cammy took them to their next destination, and part two of her plan was yet another wonderful surprise. They got in an elevator that took them all the way up to the rooftop. Outside, there was a candlelit table for two waiting for them. A pair of wine glasses and an ornate, intricately decorated wooden box had been set out as well. The evening was fair and the glowing city all around them was magnificent, a perfectly romantic atmosphere for the twos' perfect date.

"Oh, Cammy…" Chun Li was at a loss for words as Cammy lead her by the hand to sit at the little round table. The two were the only ones enjoying the rooftop atmosphere and Chun Li suspected that her date had once again made special arrangements to make sure of it.

"Just for us," Cammy said beaming at her companion. The candlelight danced in Chun Li's eyes and she felt herself being drawn into the woman's trance once again. Her face flushed but she did not want to look away.

Chun Li gazed dreamily at her partner. "You sure know how to woo a girl," she said.

"You're the only girl I'm interested in wooing," replied Cammy.

The woman's lilting British accent was always so charming. "Oh, and a smooth talker, as well," Chun Li crossed her bare legs to one side and sighed.

There were several moments of rather intense silence, then, as the girls flirted back and forth with their eyes and smiled shyly at each other. Hiding the deliciously nefarious thoughts that they were each thinking about one another was becoming physically uncomfortable to them in all the right ways. The thrum of the champagne gently urged them closer and closer to the point of no return, and yet they knew that their own urges toward each other had started from their very first encounter. It was the excitement of finally being ready to release all of that pent up frustration that had them both squirming in their seats as they held on to what was left of their polite denial.

Chun Li was the first to pull herself from the intoxicating fog of sexual depravity that had settled over them seemingly out of nowhere. She was burning up and tingling almost violently in areas that had not been given a reason to do so in a very long time. She re-crossed her legs yet again to get some relief, clearing her throat and forcing the attention back to the evening at hand.

"Are you going to show me what's in the box?" asked Chun Li sweetly.

Cammy, still emerging from the debased trenches of her desire, heard her friend's question as interpreted by the perverted little sex demons that were still dancing around her head. "Oh yes," she said, almost purred. "I'm absolutely going to show you what's in the box…"

When her friend continued to stare intently at her without making a move, Chun Li nudged the wooden crate a bit closer to her and smiled sweetly.

Cammy visibly shook herself back into the realm of decency. "Oh. _That _box. Right." When she had steadied herself a bit more, Cammy continued: "I wanted to share something rare with you tonight, something to give you a little bit of home while you're here."

When Cammy gave her the 'go ahead' look, Chun Li pulled the box closer to her. The wood was a deep red felt very solid. There was a dragon emblazoned in extremely fine detail on the lid, which Chun Li realized slid along grooves in order to get inside. She slid the dragon lid out of the grooves and inside was a bottle of red wine. The same dragon from the box was the only thing on the label, and Chun Li lifted out of its velvet-lined container.

"China's finest wine," Cammy explained briefly. "Most wineries in the world won't even know about it for another several years. I know that you haven't spent much time enjoying Hong Kong because you're always hunting down Shadaloo, so I brought one of your country's treasures here to you."

Chun Li looked at the bottle with shimmering eyes. "Cammy, I…" Her words were blocked by the lump in her throat. At length she was able to manage meekly: "Thank you."

Determined not to let on that she was on the verge of her own tears, Cammy said, "You're very welcome, although I will now have to fly in coach back to England because of it." She winked and gestured for her date to open the bottle.

Giggling excitedly, Chun Li popped the cork out of the bottle. "The night is young!" she proclaimed.

Cammy agreed and filled both of the glasses.


	2. Chapter 2

Here is Chapter 2. Chapter 3 will be the finale and tie it all back together. *^_^*

* * *

Chinatown, NYC, 2200hrs

The place was a dive. It was smoky and poorly ventilated, over-crowded and humid. The pungent smell of cigars, booze and cheap perfume inspired frequent touches of nausea for those accustomed to classier places. Music played from somewhere through a system that sounded like a microphone set in front of a cassette player, and the chatter of Mandarin and Cantonese, and couple other Asian dialects, was hectic and loud enough to prevent anyone from being able to hear themselves think.

Luckily, Guile hadn't stumbled into this bar to think.

He looked down at his glass of whiskey and water, and tried to forget about reality for awhile. It didn't seem to be working at the moment, so he slammed his drink and gestured at the bar tender with the empty glass. The young Chinese woman had become familiar with this routine over the past few hours, and she knew enough to just pour him a new one without saying anything. She placed it in front of him and was not acknowledged in the least.

But Guile knew that it didn't matter how hard he tried to drown himself tonight; Shadaloo was back. The realization that he had failed, after victory had seemed so certain, was almost too much to handle. He had failed Nash, whose soul could not rest peacefully while M. Bison was still alive. He had failed his team, those brave few who had risked everything in pursuit of Shadaloo's demise. Thoughts of Cammy White began to creep into his head and he sighed before downing his drink and signaling for another.

He wouldn't mind a little bit of her company right about now…

Guile knew that both Cammy and Chun Li Zang were somewhere in New York City tonight waiting, just as he was, for the special Interpol meeting to convene. Dealing with that bureaucracy was something that he was not looking forward to, especially since almost all of the higher-ups in that organization had outwardly denied the possibility of Shadaloo's resurrection. He wondered what the two girls were doing to pass the time. Guile remembered the good old days when Cammy and Chun Li couldn't stand the sight of each other. These days they were like a couple of school girls seeing each other in class again after a long summer apart anytime they were in the same room together. At any rate, Guile figured the closer the two became the stronger the team would be in the fight against Shadaloo.

He took a gulp of his drink, savoring the familiar burn as he thought again about keeping Cammy company that night.

"You better slow down, cowboy," a female voice said from right beside him, "or you aren't going to be of any use to me later on."

Guile froze and didn't look up from the bar. He had been so lost in thought that the woman had been able to sneak right up on him. After a few moments Guile sighed and shook his head, smiling at his own carelessness.

"If you came here looking for a fight, I'm not in the mood," he said finally turning to face his surprise visitor. "Besides," he added as he began to devour her with his eyes, "you're wearing a hell of a lot less now than you were a couple weeks ago. So unless you got those fancy weapons of yours stuffed into places I don't want to know about, there's a pretty good chance you wouldn't do so hot this time around."

Crimson Viper laughed and tossed her long, shiny red hair over one shoulder. It would be a drastic understatement, she knew, to say that she was not Guile's most favorite person tonight, which was why she had made the decision to engage him at all only after much careful deliberation. He was right, anyway; there was no way that she could have been able to equip herself with her suit technology in what she was wearing at the moment.

In fact, she had set off on this mission intentionally dressed to be disarming- and more than just a little distracting. Her black leather skirt was short and tight, exposing every inch of her bare legs before clinging to her thighs and behind, narrowly preventing a view of what she had underneath it. The neckline of her satin halter-style top was held up by a thin strap around her neck and was open down the front of her chest, and it plunged down her flat abdomen almost to her bellybutton. The bare center halves of her heavy breasts glistened and teased from the top and down underneath before reluctantly disappearing under the thin fabric. The few inches of height given by the black heels strapped to her feet enhanced the view a bit more for somebody who was already sitting down.

Viper loved the way Guile was looking at her, the way we was studying every inch of her body as if he could taste it. The contempt in his voice made it clear that he didn't' care if she lived or died, but the smoldering in his eyes told her that he would still do nasty things to her if given the opportunity. She found herself more than just casually admiring his muscular body, outlined perfectly underneath his tight white t-shirt, and decided that she may not entirely object to his advances.

"Relax," she said shifting her weight to one side and putting a hand on her hip, cutting off her own nasty ideas as they began to form in her mind. "I'm sure we'll have the opportunity to put that theory to the test once we pick up the charade in a few days."

"Then what the hell are you doing here?" Guile asked gruffly and turned his head to face forward once again, shaking off the infatuation with Viper's body that had temporarily possessed him.

Viper took a step closer and put a hand on the bar. "Actually, I was hoping we could talk. One soldier to another."

Guile scoffed. "Whatever S.I.N. really is, I'm going to take you all down along with Shadaloo. I should kill you where you stand right here and now, much less have a conversation with you." He swirled the ice around in his near-empty glass. "Soldier? You're just another puppet for M. Bison."

Viper clinched her teeth and leaned closer to Guile. "That's not fair, Guile. My intentions may seem confusing right now"-

"You tried to kill me."

Her mouth hung open in mid sentence for a moment before she was forced to change her angle. "I found you here tonight so that I could explain. Believe me when I say that we are both working toward the same goal. Unfortunately, my mission is going to require us to keep fighting for a while longer when we're out in the open. What I am offering you tonight is information about Shadaloo's resurgence that you need to know before you start hunting them down again, information that nobody can know that I'm sharing with you."

Guile shook his head and crunched on a piece of ice, having not really listened to a single word she had just said. "Lady, the only thing you have to offer me other than another drink are those big tits of yours."

Viper turned around and cleared her throat to get his attention, and when he looked she put a hand on her butt and gave it a little wiggle, winking at him playfully over her shoulder and pouting her red lips at him.

"Oh yeah," he said. "And that."

A gunshot suddenly rang out then, and the unfortunate man standing right next to Crimson Viper fell to the floor dead. As the bar erupted into screaming and chaos Guile and Viper rapidly turned to the front of the bar where the shot had come from. Two men in suits were trying to push their way toward them through the frenzy they had just started. They both looked American and they were both carrying guns.

Guile didn't waste a single second more. He spun out of his stool and grabbed Crimson Viper around the waste. He knew that the shot had been intended for her and he planned to ask her why once they were somewhere safe. If he didn't like the answer, he could always just kill her.

"You got followed?" he said as he ushered her towards the back exit, and more shots followed them, the rounds whizzing by and crashing into walls and other people. "So much for nobody knowing what you're up to."

There wasn't much Viper could do other than follow Guile's lead; his massive arm around her gave her no room to maneuver. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly inconspicuous tonight."

Guile didn't reply. He pushed his way through the employees in the back of the bar and busted through the exit into the alley, fully expecting to immediately be in a fight with whoever was waiting for them there, but the alley was empty. Guile let go of Viper and the two of them began making their way to the street and the nearest taxi.

He was definitely not drunk enough for this shit, he thought.

* * *

After losing themselves on foot for a few blocks in the bustle of the Chinatown crowd, with no sign of being followed by the men who had been shooting at them, Guile and Crimson Viper had managed to get into a cab. Viper had given the driver some directions, which to Guile's surprise she had explained to the man in Mandarin, and then they had made their way out of the neighborhood without incident. The drive seemed to take an eternity, during which neither of them spoke, and Guile was surprised when they were dropped off in front of the Azure luxury residential building.

But after considering it one more time, he realized that he should not be surprised at anything when it came to Crimson Viper.

Guile silently followed Viper through the luxurious reception area and into an elevator, which took them to the seventh floor. They stepped out and headed swiftly down the hallway to the door of her place, which she opened and they both went inside.

Viper went through the foyer and into the living room where she turned on a lamp, filling the room with a dim, comfortable light. She walked around in silence, surveying the place until she was comfortable that everything was exactly how she left it.

Leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, Guile watched the woman move about in her little skirt and revealing top, watching her shapely legs and the swish of her behind underneath the skirt. Her breasts moved freely beneath the thin top and he wondered how they did not manage to jiggle their way completely out of it. Her long red hair flowed about her shoulders and shined in the lamp light as she suspiciously inspected her living room.

"So, you just happen to have a condo in Manhattan," he commented when she seemed finished.

Viper looked at Guile from across the room. "You should know by now that none of my involvement here is by happenstance."

"Who's trying to kill you?" Guile left his post on the wall and casually walked to stand in front of her in the living room, his black cargo pants swishing in the silence and his tactical boots sounding a dull thud with each step. He could smell Viper's sugary sweet perfume now, mixed with the smoke they were both wearing from the bar. There was no resisting the urge to look her up and down now that he was so close to her.

"They were C.I.A.," Viper answered softly, feeling very good about the way Guile was lapping her up with his eyes. She didn't remember what she had hoped to accomplish by creating such a distraction out of herself. She only knew that she wanted him to want her now. The feeling that Guile could take her at any second and force her into despicable acts made her hot all over. She dared to inch a little closer.

Guile was sure that Viper had lured him into some kind of trap. He suspected that the whole scene at the bar was a set up to get the drop on him and take him out, that she was serving as an assassin for M. Bison tonight. But from where he stood he still had the advantage. And from where he stood, Crimson Viper was dirty little whore waiting to happen.

"Why would the C.I.A be after you?" Guile asked.

"They think I've gone too far inside the organization, that I'm compromised," Viper said stepping another inch closer.

"Maybe you are compromised, maybe you're not. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you off the terrace just to be safe."

Viper carefully leaned in and draped her arms around his neck, ready to fight for her life if he decided he wanted to follow through with his suggestion. The helplessness he made her feel was both a source of fear and excitement. She settled her embrace and stepped into him, her supple body pressing against his muscular build.

"Because," she said hotly, "you would be throwing away my many years of undercover work, of pretending to be a part of S.I.N in order to discover all their secrets. This is what I wanted to explain to you tonight- that we're on the same side."

"You're a goddamn spook," said Guile. He pulled her into him roughly by her behind with both hands. "What's your angle here, telling me this now?"

With one arm still around his neck, Viper moved the other hand down his rippling body and settled it over the front of his pants. "I'll do any angle you want," she said, and her face flushed red hot as she felt in her hand the sheer magnitude of what she was going to be in for.

Viper took a firm hold of it and lead Guile to her bedroom.

* * *

Cammy White and Chun Li Zang were already shoving their tongues down each other's throats by the time they had stumbled their way to the corner deluxe suite where they would be staying, and hadn't even closed the door behind them after crashing through it before they were tearing at each other's clothes. Cammy slammed the door, and Chun Li right up against it. The two girls kissed each other furiously as they clumsily groped each other's bodies and somehow managed to get each other's dress off. Chun Li pulled Cammy's head back by her hair and wetly kissed her friends pretty neck all over, attempting to move them both into the suite. But her heels got the better of her one last time and she took Cammy down with her, landing on top of her friend in a mesh of soft skin and lacy underwear.

They both laughed and continued undressing and kissing lustfully, both of them so hot for each other they were dripping. They managed to get their shoes off and then get back to their feet, stumbling toward the bedroom and tossing off all remaining clothes, scattering it about the place as they went. They finally got to the bed and the two friends entangled themselves desperately.

The rest of the night became a narrowing blur of drunken ecstasy for the two girls as the blackness approached, ushered in by the vast amount of champagne and carried into the depths of obscurity beneath the wings of a golden dragon.


End file.
